Rochdale, MA --- Brothers Nate and Cam Frederick along with Erik Lacaire and
Jonathan Gonzalez each recorded multiple hits and combined for all nine Raider RBI as East Side Post 201 defeated host Cherry Valley Post 443 by a 9-3 margin in an American Legion Zone 4 contest on Wednesday night at Rochdale Park. East Side improves to 13-4 while Cherry Valley slips to 4-13.

The Raiders jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when
Gonzalez singled in a runner as he connected on the first pitch of his first American Legion at-bat and Cam Frederick tallied a base knock into right field.

Post 201 essentially put the game out of hand with a five-run eruption in the top of the second. Lacaire brought two runners home on a single through the left side before Nate Fredrick did the same to plate another runner two batters later. Cam Fredrick also found a hole through the left side to chase home two more runs.

Cherry Valley got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Fran Baldino knocked home Ryan Fahey with a bases loaded single to center. East Side extended its advantage to 9-1 in the top of the sixth as Nate Frederick belted a two-run windshield-breaking home run to left center.

Post 443 would not go away quietly, with Baldino and Rob Dukes coming home as unearned runs with no outs in the top of the seventh before Steve Albert retired the last three hitters to close out the East Side victory.

Jeremy Blake-Johnson tossed the first three innings for Post 201, allowing just one hit while striking out four. Albert worked around three unearned runs in four innings of work to up his record to 2-0. Connor Fahey was saddled with the loss for Cherry Valley, despite fanning four in five and two-thirds.

Dukes was the only repeat hitter for the hosts while East Side’s Jono Crimmin (double) joined Nate Frederick as the only players with extra bases hits.

East Side and Leominster will vie for the Zone 4 National-Bound Championship at 7pm on Saturday night at Tivnan Field at Lake Park.The Raiders eliminated Post 151, 8-3, in the quarterfinal round of last year's mini-tournament before bowing out to top-seeded Milford,4-3 in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Leominster sports a 3-0 record at The Lake in 2013 - including a sweep of the season-openingdoubleheader against Post 201 on June 9.

Cherry Valley is off until Sunday when the squad wraps up a four-game homestand with a 10am game against Auburn.